Rune, are you talking about all OO soap or high percentage OO? What you are describing certainly sounds typical of a 100% Olive Oil soap or a soap made with oils with a high Oleic acid content. I don't think you can make a Castile that is less water soluble without changing the formula, then it's not a 100% OO soap then, is it?
It was 100% olive oil, yes. I don't think I used any water reduction either. And it was some superfat, don't remember how much. But something around 8-10%. And it was not gelled. I really like it, but I hate how it gets mushy in an instant. So I will never make a true Castile soap again, but harden it with something rock hard. I mean, make it less water soluble.
I have read that the hardness
lye calculators use, is the hardness upon unmolding. Personally, I don't think that is any relevant at all, and makes no sense. Hardness after the cure, when using the soap, that is what matters. Water solubility should also be a factor in a
lye calculator, but it is not.
I find Castile to be hard when touching it with dry hands and when using it the first time after it has dried up completely between washes. But try to wash your hands two times in a row, with no time in between. The first time will be with a hard soap, the next time with a too soft soap. The first time will be almost no lather, and you really have to work the bar. The next time, super bubbly and you barely need to touch the bar at all to get a lot of soap on your hands. Wash one more time, and it's slimy. Otherwise I like olive. I get a waterproof layer on the skin, sort of, if I wash away the lather in cold water. Maybe it is the glycerine? So that's what I do, use hot water to dissolve the soap and cold water to rinse it off. I find it more conditioning that way.
Maybe I did something wrong with the recipe or maybe olive oils are different and I used a not very appropriate one, or it could be adulterated (as I have read olive oils often are). Mine was a bottle that had a mix with refined olive and extra virgin, and it was some debris in it (not the right word). I mean some slurry at the bottom to show that it was extra virgin in it (and real extra virgin don't have that slurry). I guess they have faked it by making an olive porridge and dumped it in the bottle, or something. But I have read that olive oil soaps behave like that, gets mushy in no time, so the oils and recipe may have been perfectly fine.
So I will dump in something stearic acid containing oils in my next soap. I bought coconut oil to dump in as well. But I read just recently that coconut is just as bad as olive when it comes to water solubility. But I will use it anyway to reduce curing time, hopefully, and improve lather. Olive has to cure for forever to get lather instead of slime. So the next soap will be a Bastille, OO, CO and palm stearin. I just wish I found out how to make it, since I will be using honey, milk and oatmeal as well. I must melt the stearin and try to not scorch the milk in one way or another, and honey will heat everything up. I will use maximum water reduction and want gel at the same time. So, an impossible task for a newbie. I guess I have to live without gel. I have read that gelling makes a more durable soap, and so does water reduction. But with water reduction, it will not gel unless a higher heat is achieved. And then the milk will get all dark brown, at best. So I have no idea what to do. Maybe use other ingredients. But I really want an oatmeal, milk and honey soap that is both durable and conditioning at the same time.
But I wonder one thing. Will a hot process castile soap be different that a cold process? I wonder if the properties of the oils change to the better regarding hardness when high heat is applied?
The ancient type of Castile soaps that is still made, like Marseille soap, and said to be very durable, those are made lye heavy, cooked for days and washed out with saltwater, before molding, I have read. So either salt and/or heat must do something. But maybe regular hot process is not a long enough cooking time?
Oh no, this reply became as long as the Bible itself. Well, well.
